COUNTDOWN 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon January 14, 2012 155 Days
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2012 U.S. Olympic Trials Qualifiers
129 Men 166 Women
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Official U.S. Olympic Team Trials Marathon Website Launched
We are excited to announce that Houston2012.com has officially launched! The new website is the premier source for event information for media and fans as the top marathoners in the U.S. prepare for the Olympic Trials Marathon and Road to London!
From athlete profiles and news coverage to the race weekend schedule and course information, Houston2012.com hosts everything Trials-related. Be sure to check out this week's athlete feature on Ryan Hall and last's week feature on new mom Deena Kastor.
Media credential applications are also available online for press interested in covering the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon and Houston Marathon race weekend of events on January 14-15, 2012.
Join the conversation on Twitter: #Houston2012 |
Athlete Spotlight: Masters Marvel Linda Somers Smith
To say that Linda Somers Smith is a running marvel would be an understatement. Not only is she the second oldest U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon qualifier ever (nearly 49 at the time; only Sister Marion Irvine (1984) was older at 54-years-old) and still winning road races, but Somers Smith has maintained her national class standing while working full-time as an attorney, specializing in business and real property law, in San Luis Obispo, California.
Born at Bitburg AFB in Germany, Somers Smith, now 50, is the only person to-date to qualify by time standard for seven U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon. The University of California-Davis graduate has four Olympic Trials finishes, all sub-2:40: 1992 - 16th (2:39:50), 1996 - 2nd (2:30:06), 2004 - 10th (2:37:28) and 2008 - 17th (2:38:49).
As runner-up at the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon in a personal record of 2:30:06, she earned a trip to the Summer Olympics in Atlanta where she placed 31st in the marathon (2:36:58). Somers Smith also was seventh at the 1995 World Championships Marathon in G�teborg, Sweden.
Since becoming a Masters runner (40 and older), the two-time USA Marathon champion (1993-94) has also set numerous U.S. age group records from 5K to the half-marathon, but says that she is not motivated by records and credits her success to training "smarter" and "feeling good".
She has two top marathon performances in Houston: the aforementioned 16th place at the 1992 U.S. Olympic Trials (2:39:50) and third at the 1998 USA Women's Marathon Championship in 2:38:52.
Somers Smith is realistic about her chances of making the 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon team in Houston on January 14 as she told Runner's World last fall: "I have no illusions of making the team. In fact, I'd like to just show up to the race and be fit." |
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Trials Flashback
Shorter Starts It All
1972 Eugene, OR
In Track Town USA, Frank Shorter and Kenny Moore intentionally tied in 2:15:58 as co-champions, the first and only tie in U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon history. Their time was also an Olympic Trials record. This second U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon edition was also the first time a qualifying marathon time standard (2 hours, 30 minutes) was used for the Olympic Trials.
At the 1972 Munich Olympics in Germany, Shorter, 24, a Yale grad, won the marathon in 2:12:20, the first U.S. gold medal in the marathon in 64 years since Johnny Hayes in1908. Shorter's landmark victory is often credited as starting the First Running Boom. His teammates, Moore and Jack Bacheler, finished 4th (2:15:40) and 9th (2:17:39) respectively, and the trio produced the best U.S. team performance all-time at the Olympic Marathon.
Shorter returned to the Olympic Games in 1976, and in Montreal, he won the silver medal in the marathon to become the first and only American to earn multiple Olympic Marathon medals. |
Fun Facts
At the 1980 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon in Buffalo, New York, an Olympic Trials record 56 men broke 2:20:00, the most U.S. men sub-2:20 from the same race, and since, only the 1983 Boston Marathon has produced more U.S. men under 2:20 at the same race (76) in the same year.
Sadly and unfortunately, 1980 was also the first time (and only time to-date) that the U.S. Olympic marathon team did not compete because of the U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics. |
Top 12 Men's and Women's Qualifying Times*
*As of August 12, 2011
MEN
No. |
Time |
Name |
Event |
1 |
2:04:58 |
Ryan Hall (CA) | 2011 Boston Marathon | 2 |
2:09:15 |
Meb Keflezighi (CA) | 2009 New York City Marathon |
3 |
2:10:00 |
Dathan Ritzenhein (OR) | 2009 London Marathon |
4 |
2:10:36 |
Brett Gotcher (AZ) | 2010 Houston Marathon |
5 |
2:11:06 |
Jason Hartmann (OR) | 2010 Chicago Marathon |
6 |
2:11:30 |
Nick Arciniaga (AZ) | 2011 Houston Marathon |
7 |
2:12:34 |
Jason Lehmkuhle (MN) | 2010 Boston Marathon |
8 |
2:13:00 |
Jorge Torres (CO) | 2009 New York City Marathon |
9 |
2:13:12 |
Jeffery Eggleston (AZ) |
2011 Grandmas
Marathon |
10 |
2:13:28 |
Matthew Gabrielson (MN) | 2011 Grandmas Marathon |
11 |
2:13:47 |
Antonio Vega (MN) | 2010 Boston Marathon |
12 |
2:13:51 |
Josh Cox (CA) | 2009 California International Marathon |
WOMEN
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No. |
Time |
Name | Event |
1 |
2:22:38 |
Desiree Davila (MI) |
2011 Boston Marathon |
2 |
2:24:52 |
Kara Goucher (OR) |
2011 Boston Marathon |
3 |
2:26:22 |
Magdalena Lewy Boulet (CA) |
2010 Fortis Marathon Rotterdam |
4 |
2:27:03 |
Amy Hastings (CA) | 2011 LA Marathon |
5 |
2:28:40 |
Shalane Flanagan (OR) |
2010 New York Marathon |
6 |
2:29:35 |
Stephanie Rothstein (AZ) |
2011 Houston Marathon |
7 |
2:29:54 |
Clara Grandt (WV) | 2011 Boston Marathon |
8 |
2:30:51 |
Colleen De Reuck (CO) | 2010 Copenhagen Marathon |
9 |
2:30:53 |
Tera Moody (CO) | 2010 Chicago Marathon |
10 |
2:31:01 |
Katie McGregor (MN) |
2010 New York Marathon |
11 |
2:31:48 |
Dot McMahan (MI) | 2011 Grandmas Marathon |
12 |
2:31:49 |
Ilsa Paulson (NY) |
2009 Twin Cities
Marathon |
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